Susan Duke looks at research into the effects of bereavement and examines the interventions necessary for establishing the most helpful support service. Current research is limited, she says, and suggests that bereavement programmes should see research as an important component of their function. With the right preparation, existing staff can provide support without the need for bereavement specialists

Bereavement means to leave desolate, is associated with grief and is a response to all significant loss. Grief is a process which is expressed in 'different ways at different times' (1) and consists of a number of intertwined processes - psychological, social and biological (2).